In the past few years, the art of constructing 3D pictures, by using either a lenticular lens sheet or a barrier viewing screen, has made great progress. With the help of high speed computers, digital printing technology, good picture interlacing software, and the availability of low-cost 3D materials, the application of 3D graphics is widely used in advertising, photography and sign making to achieve attention-grabbing effects. A lenticular lens or a barrier viewing screen serves as a 3D viewing device. A lenticular lens or a barrier viewing screen is generally mounted on top of media printed with interlaced images.
Basically, there are three popular methods of generating interlaced images for a 3D picture construction. The first one is a moving camera method. For example, a still camera is moved along a guided slider at equal intervals while taking pictures. Then, the pictures of the sequential views are processed with a 3D software to provide an interlaced image. However, this method is only suitable for a non-moving subject.
The second method is referred to as a linear arrayed multi-camera method. This method is suitable for constructing a 3D picture of still or moving objects. A number of photographs are taken from different locations by using an array of multiple cameras. A variation of this system is a circularly arrayed multi-camera system, in which the cameras are arrayed circularly. However, the system is slow, bulky, heavy, and very expensive.
The third method uses a 3D software to convert or construct 2D images into layered images seeming to have good illusive depth effect. But this method cannot display a real, continuous and detailed 3D look for a portrait, a model etc.
Therefore, there is a need for a 3D camera system and method for generating a 3D picture with time efficiency, superior real 3D image quality, which is easy to use and cost-effective.